Elaine Hou is thrilled to be a Partner of School Design at Transcend. She comes to Transcend with 19 years of experience in teaching, coaching, curriculum design work, and school leadership. Elaine began her teaching career in Washington Heights at PS 152 in a partnership between NYC Teaching Fellows and Columbia Teacher’s College. She then had the exciting opportunity in 2004 to join Two Rivers Public Charter School, a PS-8th grade EL Education school in Washington DC, as a founding elementary school teacher.
After 6 transformative years with her amazing second and third graders, Elaine broadened her impact at the school in the roles of Instructional Coach, Middle School Principal, and the Director of Literacy for grades 4-8, supporting the school’s expansion into three campuses. Through these various roles, Elaine was able to build teacher and shared leadership capacity for deeper learning and instruction across the grades, in support of the schools’ vision to create a one continuous journey of students who are active participants of their own education. She has also served as adjunct faculty with Urban Teachers, to support middle and high school teachers in building productive and nurturing learning environments for students across D.C.
Elaine has a Bachelor’s in Human Development from Cornell University and a Master’s in Education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. While at Harvard, Elaine also worked with the Harvard Family Research Project to design, research, and pilot storytelling as a means to connect families and schools more meaningfully in service of the whole child.
Outside of work, you can find Elaine and her husband enjoying the spontaneous concerts her 2 kids (10 and 4 years old) perform for them in their home in Fairfax, Virginia. Elaine also enjoys scoping out the latest boba tea offerings in the area, trying out the powerpoint lessons that her daughter loves making (who is truly an aspiring teacher in the making), and enjoying all the outdoor festivals that the changing seasons of Northern Virginia brings!
Continue Your Journey
Leaps for Equitable, 21st-Century Learning
Transcend’s Leaps for Equitable, 21st-Century Learning describes the key ways we believe the student experience must change so that schools can prepare all young people to thrive in and transform the world.
Transform Learning with Community-Based Design
Community-based design is a collaborative and local process that brings together young people, educators, administrators, caregivers, and experts to redesign learning. It goes beyond traditional school improvement initiatives by involving the entire community in reshaping...
